Property owners interested in the cost-savings and environmental benefits of solar panels might also be interested in so-called  “energy reduction products.”

Lots of solar companies push these products to accompany solar panels.

But do they work? Do they really reduce power usage and energy bills? Do energy efficiency products really protect the environment? The answers are nuanced.

Let’s take a deep dive into the potential benefits of energy reduction products.

What are energy efficiency products?

The simplest definition of an energy efficiency product is a consumer product for use in a home or business that performs the same work as its non-efficient counterparts but uses less energy.

The major selling point for energy efficiency products is that they reduce energy use (and save money for the property owner in the process) without sacrificing functionality.

Examples of energy efficiency products, just to name a handful, include:

• lightbulbs
• power strips
•  smart thermostats
• smart appliances
• charging stations

It’s important to understand that energy efficiency doesn’t mean making lifestyle changes regarding appliance use. The idea is that you can enjoy all the same comforts of modern living, just with less energy expenditure.

Energy efficiency products are marketed as versatile solutions to help individuals and families reduce their carbon footprint while simultaneously reaping economic benefits in the form of reduced power bills.

Learn more about how greenhouse gas emissions negatively impact the environment and how energy efficiency products may play a large role in reducing them.  

Do energy efficiency products really work?

There is good evidence that various energy efficiency products do produce results. For instance, according to EnergySage:

“An energy-efficient 12-watt LED bulb uses 75-80% less energy than a 60-watt traditional bulb but provides the same level of light.”

Similar energy-saving results have been found with other energy efficiency products.

Look for ENERGY STAR certification

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and Department of Energy are responsible for vetting energy efficiency products for their performance. When they have assessed the efficiency of a product, they award it their stamp of approval – the ENERGY STAR.

The website also has other helpful tools. To save time and compare options, you can browse their entire catalog of approved products by category.

While you’re there, learn about potential tax credits you may qualify for when you use energy efficiency products. (Homeowners also qualify for federal tax credits when they install solar panels.)

Be wary of savings promises from marketers

The potential energy savings from this category of products are real and impressive.

However, there’s an important caveat to understand: it’s impossible to precisely predict the energy savings of these products before you install and use them.

In a bid to maximize sales, many solar companies are willing to mislead customers with promises of “X amount” in savings if you buy their products.

If you encounter a high-pressure salesperson promising explicit savings in specific dollar amounts, take that as a red flag. There’s simply no way they could accurately assess such savings down to the dollar value.

When they’re willing to mislead you on this point, chances are high that they’re also not being upfront about other products or services.

Contact Compass Solar for more about energy reduction products

We’re here to honestly help our Northwest Florida neighbors navigate the often-consuming alternative energy industry using authoritative, information.

Contact us to learn more about energy reduction products, how they work, and what advantages you can realistically expect from their use. We offer free, no-obligation solar quotes to potential customers. 

One of the biggest potential advantages of going solar in Florida is the option to sell excess energy back to the power company. This widespread practice is called “solar buyback.”

Beyond simply cutting back or eliminating your power bill, your solar panels can potentially put extra money back into your pocket each month if they generate more power than you use.

However, many solar companies mislead consumers and misrepresent their roles in solar buyback as part of a strategy to maximize sales. Here, we’ll discuss the facts about solar buyback and how it can benefit property owners.

What is solar buyback?

Because sunlight is the Earth’s only truly renewable resource, and because it is abundant, the sky’s the limit in terms of how much power can be harnessed from it.

Solar panels generate maximum power during peak daylight hours when sunlight is strongest. During this time period, many homeowners are off at work or school and therefore are using less energy.

When your system generates excess power, you have two great options to benefit your wallet (not to mention the environment):

• Store the excess power in a solar battery for later use (check out our flagship battery, the Tesla Powerwall with an industry-leading 13.5 kWh storage capacity)
• Sell the excess power back to the utility company, aka solar buyback

How does solar buyback work?

Essentially, the solar buyback process works like this:

• Your solar panels generate excess power during peak sunlight hours
• If your system is connected to the energy grid, the excess energy flows the opposite way — into the grid rather than from it — which the power company can then resell to other users on the grid
• The energy meter runs backward to grant credits to the homeowner measured in kilowatt-hours (kWh). This is called “net metering,” often used as a synonym for solar buyback.

Estimates indicate that, by design, on average, “20-40% of a solar energy system’s output… goes into the grid”. In the aggregate, that’s a lot of energy that powers the booming solar industry’s growth while cutting back on fossil fuel emissions.

According to data from the Florida Public Service Commission, Florida residents have earned $4.6 million in net metering energy credits since 2016.

Power companies run solar buyback programs, not solar companies

It’s important to understand that solar buyback programs are administered by the power companies. Not all power companies buy back excess solar-generated energy from consumers.

Therefore, consumers interested in selling their excess energy back to the utility should always check up with their local power company to make sure they participate.

Solar companies don’t run solar buyback programs. While most solar companies (including Compass Solar) participate in solar buyback programs as partners with the power companies, the programs are run by the power companies.

Be wary of any specific promises made by solar company marketers regarding “x amount of money” saved through solar buyback programs. Since they’re not in charge, they can’t make those assurances with confidence.

Whenever a solar panel marketer makes an explicit promise of financial benefit from solar panel installation, request that assurance in writing. If it’s not in writing, such a guarantee is worthless (and not likely to pan out).

Learn more about red flags to look out for in solar door knockers.

Floridians’ right to sell their excess energy is protected

A recently proposed net metering bill, HB 741, which would have curtailed the credits that solar panel owners receive from the energy company over several years, passed through the state legislature.

Fortunately, a massive grassroots organizing effort successfully lobbied the governor to veto the bill, safeguarding the ability of Floridians to receive maximum payoff for their excess solar-sourced energy.

Contact Compass Solar for more solar buyback information

Part of the important work we do is educating Northwest Floridians about the various aspects of solar power, including how solar buyback programs work.

Contact us for authoritative, fact-based information on all things solar.

One of the most common questions we get from our customers pertains to how to calculate their solar panel system size to meet their energy needs. Matching your solar panel system design/configuration to match your energy usage will produce maximum cost-efficiency. 

Let’s explore how to calculate your power needs, how to estimate power output from solar panels, and how to reconcile those to find the right size system for your home or business.

Bear in mind that there’s a little bit of math involved – but we’ll provide some online tools to make the calculation work as easy and accurate as possible.

Figuring your energy usage

The first thing you need to do is determine how much power you typically use in your residence or commercial property. Here’s how to do that:

• Get a copy of your last 12 energy bills dating back a year. Your energy use is presented as kilowatt-hours (kWh). This is the key metric to pay attention to.
• To identify your individual kWh use, your monthly power bill will have a section titled “energy usage history” or a similar phrase. Your energy use will be presented in graph form using kWh. If Florida Power & Light Company is your provider, use this guide on how to read your energy bill. 
• Calculate your average monthly power consumption. This can be done by adding all 12 months’ kWh together and dividing by 12. This is important because power usage tends to rise in winter and summer relative to spring and fall (due to air conditioning and heating).
• Calculate your daily energy usage. Divide the monthly kWh consumption by 30 to determine your energy needs on a day-to-day basis.

Calculating peak sunlight

Knowing how much peak sunlight you get in your area – which varies widely by latitude and climate – is important. Fortunately, in the Sunshine State, we get a lot.

Use a free online peak sunlight calculator for convenience.

Calculating solar panel system size

Now that you’ve got your daily kWh power usage and your peak sunlight hours, plug those numbers into the following equation to determine your ideal solar panel system size:

Daily kWh ÷ average sun hours) x 1.15 efficiency factor = DC solar system size

Using a PVWatts® Calculator to determine your system’s power output

The PVWatts® Calculator is a free, handy online tool developed by the US National Renewable Energy Laboratory that you can use to calculate your system’s estimated power output in kilowatt-hours on an annual and month-by-month basis.

You can adjust the estimates based on the features of your property and system, including:

• DC system size (based on previous solar panel system size estimate)
• type of PV array (fixed or tracking)
• optimal PV array tilt angle (calculate optimal tilt angle)
•  PV array azimuth angle (learn how to calculate azimuth)
• system losses

Here’s a great tutorial to learn how to use and navigate the platform:

Ideally, your system’s estimated power output will meet or exceed your kWh energy needs.

Factors that affect solar panel power output

Aside from the most obvious element – available sunlight — the following factors affect solar power output:

• Available roof space. The roof is the ideal location because it is the most cost-effective, usually the most sun-exposed, and the easiest rack to install. But if you don’t have enough roof space to match your energy needs, alternative mounting options may be viable.
• South-facing roof space. Roof space facing southward captures the maximum amount of sunlight throughout the day. If you don’t have south-facing roof space, you will need extra solar panels to make up the difference.
• Roof angles.
• The type and quality of solar panel (standard vs premium efficiency vs. thin film)
• Climate. Solar panels perform optimally in colder weather compared to warmer weather.
• Shading. Trees or other obstructions may cast shadows on the solar panels at different times of day and hinder their efficiency.
• Solar panel efficiency

Let Compass Solar help you size your solar panel system

If all these considerations and calculations seem overwhelming, that’s understandable. For best results, rely on expert help to design your ideal solar panel system.

Compass Solar is here to walk our Northwest Florida neighbors through the design and installation process. Contact us to get started. Get the ball rolling with a free solar quote.

We’re the only locally owned and operated company equipping our neighbors with high-quality solar batteries and generators. To get an idea of the quality of our work and products, take a look at testimonials from previous Compass Solar customers. 

As we’ve discussed previously, solar energy is the undisputed future of renewable energy, tapping the Earth’s one true renewable energy source. That’s great news for the environment and for consumers who desire the freedom afforded by an independent, limitless energy alternative to the increasingly expensive power grid.

Unfortunately, along with the booming solar panel industry in Florida come equally innovative new solar panel scams from shady solar retailers looking to make a quick buck off of consumers’ unfamiliarity with this relatively new energy source.

Both door-knockers and, more and more, online vendors propagate exaggerations and outright lies about solar panels to try to move more product (check out our guide to handling solar panel door-knockers).

Here we explore why online solar scams have exploded in recent years and also review a few red flags to look for. Use this information to avoid falling victim to sleazy solar panel scams.

The proliferation of online solar scams during COVID

Journalistic reviews of social media ads have documented a concerning rise in false claims and outright scams, promising the moon in an effort to lure in customers during difficult economic times for the industry.

Insider explains:

“Some of the ads… suggest that certain states are giving away solar panels for free or that utilities will pay customers to put solar panels on their roofs. And nearly all of them stated that there are no out-of-pocket expenses… [During COVID] in-person sales ground to a halt, driving companies to invest in a digital-only sales strategy.”

Let’s survey some of the more outrageous claims made by shady solar vendors.

Solar scam #1: The ‘get paid to go solar’ scam

The hands-down biggest scam out there is the “get paid to go solar” scam, which comes in various iterations and taglines such as:

• “Free solar panels”/”free batteries”
•  “The government/energy company will pay for your solar panels”
•  “No-cost solar”

Predatory scammers play on consumers’ natural human desire to get the most benefit with the least investment in a product. Unfortunately, as we all know, there’s no such thing as a free lunch.

Just think about it: if there really were solar panel companies paying people to go solar, they wouldn’t need to resort to such deceptive and aggressive marketing tactics.

Reality check #1: you can qualify for big tax breaks with solar panels

No government or company is going to “pay you” to go solar, but they will incentivize you to go solar by offering generous tax breaks. The US government offers significant tax incentives to solar panel owners. Read our fact-based article regarding the tax benefits of solar panels.

Florida’s state government, in addition to the US federal government, has several financial incentive programs regarding solar panels.

Reality check #2: you can sell extra energy from your home system back to the power company

The power company won’t pay you to go solar. But, if you connect your system to the public grid, they will buy your excess power for resale to other Floridians.

The Florida governor recently vetoed a bill that would have limited Floridians’ ability to sell their extra solar-generated energy back to the energy company. That’s great news, because it means that you can still benefit financially from your excess power in the coming years while also providing clean energy to the community.

Learn more about offsetting energy costs with grid-tied solar systems.

Reality check #3: Compass Solar offers 0% financing

You won’t get a free solar panel system, but with Compass Solar you can finance your system with 0% interest rates. So, with modest monthly payments, you can add real, long-term value to your property while shaving significant chunks off your energy bill (or eliminating it entirely).

Learn more about how Compass Solar’s 0% financing program works.

Solar scam #2: The ‘solar stimulus’ lie

You probably got a series of so-called “stimulus” checks from the government during COVID as an emergency measure to mitigate the economic fallout caused by the lockdowns.

Solar scammers took note, and incorporated this talking point into their sales pitches, promising potential customers they would benefit from a non-existent “solar stimulus” program.

Again, Insider explains the scam:

“There are no such programs, said Joshua Buswell-Charkow, deputy director at the California Solar and Storage Association (CALSSA), an industry trade group that helps monitor ads… Before COVID happened, none of the ads were talking about a stimulus program… But now… that’s what they’re referencing.”

To reiterate, there is not and never was a “solar stimulus” program of any kind. When you see or hear this language, take it as your cue to run the other way.

Solar scam #3: Specific promises of savings

If you become a solar panel owner and use your panels instead of power from the grid, you will very likely save substantial amounts of money – but exactly how much money you’ll save is difficult to predict for a variety of reasons:

• Every home or business has unique energy needs
•  Electricity rates vary over time
• Solar panel efficiency begins to lag over time

Therefore, any specific percentage in energy bill savings offered by a solar salesperson is a lie and a massive red flag that they are not being upfront with the facts.

Our neighbors to the north, Atlanta news organization Fox 5, performed an impressive investigation into such types of deceptive sales tactics promising savings that never materialize and, potentially, cost customers thousands of dollars.

Despite the apparent uncertainty, it is possible to calculate how much money you can save with a solar panel investment. To get a realistic estimation of your cost savings over time, check out our authoritative blog article on the topic.

Buyer beware: Do your due diligence before signing on the dotted line

Here are a few golden rules to live by in terms of shopping for solar systems:

·       Do your own research. Don’t take promises from salespeople (who have an incentive to upsell the benefits and downplay the drawbacks/upfront costs) for granted. Ask for references to authoritative sources to back up any claims.

•  If the claims made sound implausible or too good to be true, they might be.
• Look up industry averages for solar panels in your area to make sure you’re getting a fair price quote.  
• Rely on well-established, well-reviewed, local businesses with solid reputations like Compass Solar. Scams are much more common in startup, fly-by-night companies with no long-lasting community ties. Avoid companies that change their names due to poor publicity.

In terms of Compass Solar’s bona fides, we have a 5-star review on EnergySage. Check out our testimonials from Northwest Florida and Alabama customers.

Contact Compass Solar to learn more about protecting yourself from scams

In a world of misinformation proliferating via digital media and other avenues, it’s more important than ever for consumers to seek out the unvarnished facts in order to make informed decisions.

Contact Compass Solar for authoritative, no-nonsense information and facts regarding solar power, its various advantages over grid power, and the cost-savings benefits it offers to property owners.

So you’ve got your brand-new, glimmering Compass Solar solar panels system installed that’s going to power your home for decades and save you thousands on your energy bills in the process.

Now your top priority is keeping your system clean and generating its maximum power output.  

Let’s explore the why and how of solar panel cleaning.

Is regularly cleaning your solar panels necessary?

It depends on a few factors:

• Pollution. In some areas with low pollution, like our home here in Northwest Florida, you likely won’t need to worry much about air pollution caking onto your solar panels. This isn’t as true in other areas, especially large urban centers with high population densities.
• Seasonal changes. Weather conditions play a role in keeping your solar panels clean. For example, in the springtime, you might find pollen caked onto your solar panels. During weather months, rain acts as a natural cleansing agent. Again, luckily for us, Northwest Florida gets plenty of rainfall.
• Solar panel angles. Positioning solar panels at less than a 5-degree angle makes debris accumulation more likely.
• Proximity to airports or large roadways. Oily grime is more likely to accumulate on your solar panels if your property is adjacent to a major source of carbon emissions.

The good news is that you won’t have to break out the cleaning equipment very often. At most, you should plan to clean your solar panels 2-3 times annually.

Why is keeping your solar panels clean important?

You have two main incentives for keeping your solar panel system clean – form and function:

• Form: As a property owner who takes pride in the appearance of your home or business, you want to keep things looking tidy. Grime-covered solar panels don’t fit that bill.
• Function: Our premium solar panels are designed to deliver maximum power in all conditions, but it’s possible that large buildups of debris on your solar panels could impact their performance.

Soap and sponge: the easiest DIY method to clean your solar panels

Soap and sponge is the best way to clean your solar panels on your own without damaging them.

But there are important caveats to keep in mind!

• The key to avoiding damage to your solar panels using this old-fashioned method is to use a minimal amount of soap. Excessive soap will leave a residue that can negatively impact solar panel function.
• Windex is an acceptable soap substitute. Ensure that you are using a soft sponge and not an abrasive brush or other material to avoid scratches. If you live near an airport or highway and have a film of grime that won’t respond to the soap and sponge, a rag and isopropyl alcohol should do the job.
• If your solar panels are hard to reach or you just want a more back-friendly alternative to a sponge, you can opt for a solar panel brush that’s specially designed for sensitive surfaces so as not to damage your expensive equipment.

The two most important things to keep in mind are a.) to take care not to scratch your solar panel glass, as doing so will impair its power production and b.) when rinsing off any excess soapy water, use a bucket of fresh water or a low-pressure garden hose. Never use a pressure washer on your panels.

Contact Compass Solar to learn more about solar panel maintenance

Our work serving our Northwest Florida neighbors doesn’t stop once we’ve installed your solar panel system. We’re here to help you keep your solar panel spic and span and humming along at full capacity.

Contact Compass Solar for the hottest tips to ensure your Compass Solar panels are fully functional and clean all year round. 

No one likes pushy salespeople showing up at their home to sell this or that. At Compass Solar, we don’t engage in such kinds of aggressive and, often, misleading ad campaigns.

On the other hand, fly-by-night solar panel startups do, in fact, often rely on these kinds of marketing campaigns to try to bolster their sales. In their efforts, they often fail to accurately and fully explain all of the important aspects of solar panel systems that homeowners and business owners need to understand.

Here’s why you should greet door knockers with a healthy dose of skepticism and how to handle them when they turn up at your front door.

Why should you be skeptical of solar panel door knockers?

First, the volume-based, immediate-payoff door-knocking business model requires that these businesses sign new customers immediately. Their goal isn’t building long-term, stable roots in a community for decades of repeat business but rather short-term profits through quick sales.

Second, it’s important to understand that door knockers are, in general, not solar panel experts. Think about it: could companies afford to hire real, bona fide experts to pound the pavement door-to-door to sell their products? They couldn’t.

Instead, door knockers are often minimum-wage recruits from the ad pages of Craigslist whose only education in the industry is a flash course in flashy talking points.

These solar panel startups specifically train door knockers to upsell potential customers on all of the benefits of solar panel system ownership while leaving out any of the potential drawbacks or considerations that property owners should weigh carefully before making such a large financial investment.

Questions to ask solar panel door knockers to avoid scams

Of course, the easiest way to avoid door-knocking solar panel scams is to not answer the door in the first place – a totally understandable tact to take if they show up while you’re enjoying a family meal or relaxing on a weekend.  

But, if you must engage with them, probe them with these questions to suss out a scam before you become a victim.

Question #1: How does the solar panel tax incentive program work?

One of the common misleading sales pitches that door knockers use is to suggest that the government will reimburse customers with a direct check to compensate for their investment after getting their panels installed.

That is not true. The federal government does offer a residential investment tax credit (ITC) which, as the name indicates, is a tax credit and not a rebate. It’ll reimburse you for about a quarter of your money back in the form of a shaved tax bill.

In addition to the federal tax break, Florida residents also qualify for Residential Solar System Tax Exemption which will allow you to retain the 6% sales tax you would otherwise have to pay.

The bottom line is that you’ll get plenty of tax incentives, but you’re not going to get any government checks for your solar panel system.

To get real information about how the government’s tax incentive program works, check out our informative blog post.

Question #2: How does net metering work?

Another favorite deception of door knockers is to try to convince you that the utility company will pay you to install your solar panel system.

They won’t.

If a door knocker tries to convince you otherwise – that, for example, Florida Power & Light (FPL), which recently acquired Gulf Power, will pay for your system – that is flatly untrue. It should serve as a red flag that whatever company this door knocker represents is not being upfront.

What utility companies will do is buy back your excess energy if you are willing to sell it. This is called “net metering.” Thanks to the organizing efforts of local solar power proponents, we recently defeated legislation that would have limited Floridians’ ability to sell their solar-generated power back to the utilities at full price.

So, with that legal victory under our belts, you still have full incentive to make your own independent power supply and sell what you don’t need at a fair market cost to the public.

That’s good news for property owners, the environment, and the whole community given that electricity prices for Floridians have skyrocketed.

Of course, if you so choose, in most places in Florida going off-grid is fully legal. You can keep your energy for yourself and your family – a popular option for many who value full independence over other considerations.

Question #3: Is there a solar ‘stimulus’ program?

Latching onto the popular parlance surrounding the “COVID-19 stimulus,” many opportunistic solar startups have begun using these same talking points to try to lure potential customers into signing on the dotted line.

There is no such thing as a “solar stimulus” program from any level of government.

In addition to being a common tactic used by door knockers, the “solar stimulus” lie has also proliferated across social media. After all, we live in the disinformation age. COVID-19 put a temporary halt to door-to-door sales, so pioneering startups took to the internet to disseminate their deceptive marketing campaigns instead.

If, at any point, the term “solar stimulus” pops up in the sales pitch, you can rest assured you’re dealing with a dishonest vendor.

The basic rule of thumb: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is

The best guiding principle when handling door knockers is to use your best judgment – what your parents probably called “common sense.” Solar panels cost money and the government or the utility company aren’t going to pay that cost.

However, if you choose the right, respected firm to install and help you maintain your system over years, and you demand top-of-the-line gear like Tesla’s solar batteries, your solar panels will generate reliable electricity for years to come. While the cost might seem intimidating, bear in mind that data proves that a solar panel system, like any solid investment, pays for itself and then some over time.

And, with our financing options, your new solar panel system can be affordable – just not free.

Plus, solar panel systems increase your property value.

Contact Compass Solar for the unvarnished truth about solar panels

We don’t do high-pressure sales campaigns. Instead, we build our business brick by brick on our word-of-mouth reputation among our Northwest Florida neighbors.

We respect our customers enough to tell them the truth. Contact Compass Solar to learn more about solar panels.

You can count on us to deliver the unvarnished truth about solar panels – how much you can save, which tax incentives you qualify for, and what benefits you can realistically expect from your system in terms of energy independence and return on investment.